The present application is directed, in general, to devices, systems, and methods for delivering text messages to telecommunications devices.
When a calling party or called party is using a wireless or wireline service, the party often encounters recorded announcements that inform the party about call conditions (e.g. out-of-service numbers, changed area codes, etc.) or that instruct the party in the use of certain business features.
Numerous businesses use recorded announcements to convey information to their customers via communication networks. The use of recorded announcements is widespread and rapidly growing in today's global economy. For example, most, if not all, telecommunication companies use hundreds of recorded announcements to notify callers of, for example, call status, service status, available services, employment opportunities, and account balances. Similarly, banking service providers use thousands of recorded announcements to inform customers of, for example, account status, lending opportunities, payment options, credit rates, billings, and various other services. Most establishments use recorded announcements to route calls, receive automated purchase information, generate sales, perform sales promotions, and provide other automated customer services. Polling services use recorded announcements to respond to calls, issue questions to callers, and generate responses to data entered by callers. Hospitals, governmental agencies, and other large entities often employ recorded announcements both internally and externally for processing applications with callers. As yet another example, many airline service providers use hundreds of recorded announcements to inform passengers of flight status, ticket information, and flight information. The travel services industry is another business sector that utilizes systems with recorded announcements. Most travel agencies, car rental companies, and hotels handle transactions with recorded announcements. Many companies use “in-house” communication systems with “pick up” phones that play announcements when a user picks up the telephone (e.g., a car rental agency or hotel with a “pick up” telephone at a front desk or reception counter).
Recorded announcements have been conventionally played as audio signals; however, many calling parties and called parties may not be able to audibly comprehend a recorded announcement. For example, many calling parties or called parties, who are hearing impaired, are not able to understand an audible announcement. Such parties may choose to use a special TDD device, which interprets tones that are often transmitted with the recorded announcements and which displays each tone as a text message showing an abbreviated version of the recorded announcement. However, not all hearing impaired parties may have access to TDD devices because, for example, TDD devices may not be compatible with the mobility of wireless services or many wireline callers or called parties may simply prefer not to use a TDD device, thus causing a caller or a called party with a hearing impediment to not comprehend or fully appreciate many recorded announcements.
In addition, a calling party or a called party may not be a person, but rather may be a device such as a facsimile machine, pager, modem, etc., many of which are incapable of discerning and/or storing an audible message.